BART Bike Parking Capital Program Increasing bike access while reducing bikes onboard April 2015 EISEN|LETUNIC TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENTAL AND URBAN PLANNING BART bike parking capital program Table of contents Introduction Introduction ..................................................................... 1 In 2013, BART commissioned the first BART Bike Proposed bicycle capital program ................................ 2 Parking Capital Program, which recommended Station profiles ................................................................ 5 specific bicycle parking improvements at the system’s 12th Street Oakland .......................................................... 6 18 busiest stations in terms of bicycle access. The 2012 16th Street/Mission ........................................................... 7 BART Bicycle Plan suggested this approach based on 24th Street/Mission .......................................................... 8 the document’s finding that about 25% of cyclists who Balboa Park ...................................................................... 9 currently bring their bikes onboard do so because of a Bay Fair............................................................................ 10 lack of secure parking at their origin station. Castro Valley ................................................................. 13 Civic Center ................................................................... 12 The urgency of BART’s efforts to increase the supply Colma .............................................................................. 15 of secure bicycle parking intensified later in 2013 when Concord ........................................................................... 16 the agency’s Board lifted the bicycle blackout period, Downtown Berkeley ...................................................... 19 thereby allowing bikes onboard trains at all times. Dublin/Pleasanton ......................................................... 20 This policy change made it all the more important to El Cerrito Plaza ............................................................... 22 encourage as many passengers as possible to park Embarcadero ................................................................... 23 Fremont ........................................................................... 25 their bikes at their origin station, leaving space on Glen Park......................................................................... 26 trains for those who need a bicycle at both ends of Hayward ......................................................................... 29 their trip. Lafayette .......................................................................... 30 Lake Merritt .................................................................... 32 The original BART Bike Parking Capital Program MacArthur ...................................................................... 34 called for investing in stations with the highest Millbrae ........................................................................... 35 occupancy of existing bicycle parking. As a result, a Orinda ............................................................................. 36 great deal of new bike parking has been constructed at Pittsburg/Bay Point ........................................................ 38 these stations. This updated capital plan outlines Richmond ........................................................................ 39 further improvements to 31 stations, including 16 from Rockridge ........................................................................ 40 the original plan – six unchanged and 10 revised as a San Bruno ........................................................................ 43 result of new opportunities – and 15 new stations not San Leandro .................................................................... 44 addressed originally. See Table 1 for a summary of South Hayward .............................................................. 46 existing and recommended bicycle parking, and South San Francisco ....................................................... 47 Appendix A for a more detailed accounting of these Walnut Creek .................................................................. 48 recommendations. West Dublin/Pleasanton ................................................ 51 West Oakland ................................................................. 52 Bicycles provide an environmentally sustainable way to improve access to BART stations. The BART Bike Table 1: Bicycle parking summary ................................ 3 Parking Capital Program will benefit the entire BART Appendix A: Bicycle parking details ........................... 55 system by encouraging new and existing passengers to Appendix B: ArcLockers .............................................. 59 bicycle to BART – thus freeing up precious auto Appendix C: Cost to provide recommended parking – and allowing more bike-to-BART bicycle parking ........................................................ 61 passengers to park (rather than bringing a bike BART Bike Parking Capital Program | 1 BART bike parking capital program onboard), which will help reduce train car crowding. Appendix C provides a breakdown of these costs by The program will require monetary resources to make station and investment type. To enhance the short term investments and for seed money to attract effectiveness of investing in secure bicycle parking, outside grant funds. As important as funding, will be BART could also implement other recommendations a commitment of staff resources to plan, procure and from the 2012 Bicycle Plan, including: construct new secure bicycle parking. Successful expansion of secure bike parking will rely on close 1.1 Develop and install wayfinding signage coordination between BART Customer Access and 1.3 Evaluate and install stairway channels BART’s office of Planning and Development. 2.2 Fight bicycle theft (with lighting, security cameras) Proposed bicycle capital program These features will compliment the secure bicycle parking investments called for in this Capital Program The type of capital investments envisioned to by directing passengers to the most secure bike accomplish the twin goals of increasing bicycle access parking locations, allowing passengers to safely wheel and reducing onboard bicycle carriage include: their bikes on stairways so they can reach parking • Attended and self-serve Bike Stations locations not at street level, and creating safer bicycle • Electronic lockers1, including outdoor “eLockers” parking (and pedestrian) environments with BART has been using for years, and ArcLockers, improved lighting and security cameras. currently under development, being designed for use inside stations (see Appendix B) Stations not included in this plan Bicycle racks2 inside station paid areas or drip lines This plan is a snapshot in time and reflects bicycle These parking types are considered secure either parking needs and opportunities at stations because of their location or limitations on access, or throughout the BART system in mid-to-late 2014, both. Table 1 shows the number of existing and when the site visits for this plan took place. While this recommended secure bicycle parking spaces at the 31 capital plan was being developed, bike parking stations profiled in this report, which will increase shortages became evident at several additional BART’s stock of secure bicycle parking at these stations (a testament to the rapidly increasing use of stations by more than 50%. bicycles to access BART). Although not formally part of this plan, it is important to note the following BART These improvements are estimated to cost a total of $6 stations where additional bike parking is needed: million. Approximately half of this amount is North Berkley, Ashby and Union City available through a mix of grant and BART funds, Use of electronic lockers has reached a level that leaving a $3 million shortfall for full implementation. warrants additional eLockers. Pleasant Hill 1 Keyed lockers can be used by just one passenger, who rents Bicycle racks and eLockers are approaching it on a quarterly basis. Electronic lockers serve many more passengers and are recommended in all new locations. capacity. BART staff is exploring a self-serve Bike Replacing keyed lockers with eLockers is recommended at Station in the neighboring Avalon Bay stations with high demand for bicycle parking and limited development. space to add eLockers. 2 Inverted U-racks are superior to wave racks and are Fruitvale recommended in most instances because, with two points of The Bike Station is reaching capacity on busy contact, they are more stable and more bikes can be parked on them per linear foot; however, where additional racks are days; options to expand the Bike Station are being recommended alongside existing wave racks, wave racks are explored. recommended for consistency. 2 | BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT BART bike parking capital program Table 1 | Summary of existing and recommended secure bike parking Rec'd to Existing Recommended to be Added be Net 4 5 Station Total Racks1 eL2 Arc3 Station Total Removed Spaces 12th Street Oakland 42 80 0 0 0 80 30 92 16th Street Mission 77 76 0 51 0 127 77 127 24th Street Mission 70 76 0 51 0 127 70 127 Balboa Park 119 20 8 0 0 28 12 135 Bay Fair 70 71 0 0 0 71 21 120 Castro Valley 80 32 0 0 0 32 0 112 Civic Center 63 124 0 0 89 213 0 276 Colma 72 32 8 0 0 40 0 112 Concord 145 0 0 0 125 125